British Prime
Minister on Iran-Israel Statement
at the British
Parliament
Dr Mozammel Haque
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP gave a statement on Iran-Israel in
the House of Commons, British Parliament, on Monday, 15 April 2024 and then
there was a debate on the topic.
The Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak
British Prime Minister started by saying, “On Saturday evening, Iran
sought to plunge the middle east into a new crisis. It launched a barrage of
missiles and attack drones over Iraq and Jordan, and towards Israel. The scale
of the attack, and the fact that it was targeted directly at Israel, are
without precedent. It was a reckless and dangerous escalation.”
He continued, “In support of Israel’s own defensive action, the United
Kingdom joined a US-led international effort, along with France and partners in
the region, that intercepted almost all of the missiles, saving lives in Israel
and its neighbours. We sent additional RAF Typhoons to the region as part of
our existing operations against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, and I can confirm that
our forces destroyed a number of Iranian drones.”
Rishi Sunak said, “I spoke to my
fellow G7 leaders. We are united in our condemnation of this attack. We
discussed further potential diplomatic measures, which we will be working
together to co-ordinate in the coming days. I will also shortly speak to Prime
Minister Netanyahu to express our solidarity with Israel in the face of this
attack, and to discuss how we can prevent further escalation. All sides must
show restraint.”
British Prime Minister mentioned, “I believe there are three vital steps
to put the region on to a better path. First, we must uphold regional security
against hostile actors, including in the Red sea, and we must ensure Israel’s
security. That is non-negotiable and a fundamental condition for peace in the
region. In the face of the threats that we saw this weekend, Israel has our
full support.”
Speaking about Gaza, he said, “Secondly, we must invest more deeply in
the two-state solution. That is what we have been doing over the past six months,
including working closely with the Palestinian Authority, so that when the
time comes, they can provide more effective governance for Gaza and the west
bank. It is significant that other regional partners actually helped to prevent
a much worse attack over the weekend. It reminds us how important the attempts
to normalise relations between Israel and its neighbours really are, and they
hold out precious hope for the region, said Prime Minister Sunak.
“Thirdly, the conflict in Gaza must end,” said Sunak and added, “ I want
to be clear: nothing that has happened over the past 48 hours affects our
position on Gaza. The appalling toll on civilians continues to grow—the hunger,
the desperation and the loss of life on an awful scale. The whole country wants
to see an end to the bloodshed, and to see more humanitarian support going in.
The recent increase in aid flows is positive, but it is still not enough. We
need to see new crossings open for longer to get in vital supplies.”
Referring to the victims of British
aid workers, Prime Minister said, “I want to take this opportunity, Mr Speaker,
to pay tribute to the three British aid workers who were killed in Gaza: John
Chapman, James Kirby and James Henderson. They were heroes. The children of
Gaza whom they were risking their lives to feed need a humanitarian pause
immediately, leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire. That is the fastest
way to get hostages out and aid in, and to stop the fighting. Israelis and
Palestinians alike deserve to live in peace, dignity and security, and so do
people across the entire region.”
Labour Member of Parliament for the
constituency of Holborn and St Pancras and the Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer
in response to the Prime Minister said, “I also join the Prime Minister in
offering our solidarity with the victims of the horrific attack in Sydney, and
in recognising the heroism of the three British aid workers killed in Gaza
while working for World Central Kitchen.”
Labour leader Starmer supported “the defensive action taken by the UK,
alongside our international allies, against the Iranian attacks on Israel, and
we welcome the Prime Minister’s call for restraint. Once again, we all salute
the professionalism and bravery of our armed forces. We also support the RAF
planes being sent to the region to bolster Operation Shader. Their efforts are
vital for a safer world.”
Speaking about Gaza Starmer said, “While there is no justification for
Iran’s actions, we cannot be naive to the fact that one of the drivers of tension
in the region is the ongoing war in Gaza. Six months on from the horrific Hamas
terror attack, hostages remain separated from their families, thousands of
innocent Palestinians have been killed, and now more than a million people face
the imminent threat of famine—so I urge the Government again to use every ounce
of diplomatic leverage that we have to make sure that aid to Gaza is unimpeded
and drastically scaled up.”
Labour leader also said, “we reiterate our call for an immediate
ceasefire, for Hamas to release hostages and for a return to a diplomatic
process that can rekindle the hope of a two-state solution.”
Starmer also mentioned, “It is right that we condemn Iran’s action, it
is right that we work with others to defend the security of our allies, and it
is right that we seek the end of conflict in Gaza. But this is a moment for
restraint, because escalation will only lead to further destruction; and, for
the sake of all those still caught in the horror and violence, that must be
avoided.”
Mr Speaker called
for the SNP spokesperson.
(Paisley and
Renfrewshire South) (SNP)
SNP Deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black “condemn the acts of violence
by the Iranian regime. They are no more than a cynical attempt to exploit the
suffering, pain and turmoil being experienced by people in Palestine right now.
While we rightly condemn the violent acts of Iran, so too must we condemn the
violent acts of Israel.”
Mhairi Black mentioned, “From listening to the interviews that he has
been giving, the Foreign Secretary is correct in his attempt to uphold the
principle of proportionality, but if firing 100 missiles in retaliation for an
isolated attack on an embassy is—correctly—considered disproportionate, so too
must be Israel’s 192-day bombardment of Gaza.
She told the House of Commons, “The biggest continuing cause of conflict
is the siege of Gaza; hence the need for a ceasefire. Can the Prime Minister
outline what he is doing to ensure that the ceasefire mandated by the UN
Security Council becomes a reality?”
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Lib Dem leader Ed Davey Member of the British Parliament for the
constituency of Kingston and Surbiton, said, “The Prime Minister has rightly
said that we must prevent further escalation, so does he agree that the best
way to achieve that is to press all sides to agree to an immediate bilateral
ceasefire in Gaza to get the hostages home, get the aid in, and put us on the
path to a lasting peace for a two-state solution?”
While the UK’s main political parties
have united in condemning Iran’s attack, it seems they are keen to keep the
pressure on Tel Aviv over the situation in Gaza, BBC reported on 15 April 2024.
Labour Member for Bethnal Green and
Bow Roushanara Ali said, “Despite the calls for a ceasefire here in our
Parliament and from across the international community, the war in Gaza has
raged, costing 33,000 lives as well as the 1,200 killed by the Hamas attacks
and a humanitarian catastrophe that is now turning into a famine. For months
many have raised concern around the spectre of regional escalation; precisely
what conversations is the Prime Minister having with leading figures in the
Israeli Government, as well as through various parties to influence the Iranian
regime to de-escalate as quickly as possible given the seriousness of the
crisis?”
Labour Member of Parliament for the
constituency Hayes and Harlington, John McDonnell said, “There is rightly
consensus across the House to call for restraint from the Israeli Government,
but we have called for restraint before: we called for restraint with regard to
the attack on Gaza, yet the indiscriminate bombing took place; we called for
restraint on the settlements in the west bank, yet the settlements have
expanded; we called for restraint so that food could be got to the children of
Gaza, yet malnutrition is killing some of them. So what action will the
Government take if Israel does not show restraint, because we are in danger of
the middle east being set alight by the decisions taken by the right-wing
factions within the Netanyahu Cabinet?”
Conservative Member of Parliament for
the constituency North West Hampshire, Kit Malthouse said, “The Prime Minister
was right to authorise the defence of Israel and the avoidance of violence and
death, but violence has also erupted in the west bank over the last few days,
as he will know. What concrete steps can we take to protect those civilians?”
George Galloway Member of Parliament
for Rochdale said, “There was not one single word in the Prime Minister’s
statement of condemnation of the Israeli destruction of the Iranian consulate
in Damascus, which is the proximate reason for the event everyone is here in
concert condemning. He was not even asked to do so by the Opposition Front
Bench. Kay Burley is the only person so far to demand that of a Government
Minister. We have no treaty with Israel—at least not one that Parliament has
been shown. The Iranians are not likely to listen to the Prime Minister when
Britain occupied Iran, looted its wealth and overthrew its one democratic
socialist Government in my lifetime.”
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